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The present invention relates to games of chance and, more particularly, to a side wager for casino-style games of chance where hands of cards are dealt to both one or more players and the dealer.
The casino game Let-It-Ride(trademark), which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,081, features communal cards and player cards that are combined to make a hand. These communal cards, however, are not xe2x80x9cdealerxe2x80x9d cards per se, and in a heads-up game, those cards would belong specifically to one player. A Blackjack variation called 21+3, which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,719, features a Blackjack dealer face-up card combined with the player first two cards to define a combined hand. If a poker ranking of the combined hand exceeds a predetermined poker ranking, a payout is paid on the side wager. Subsequently, a conventional Blackjack game ensues.
It is desirable in a casino environment to offer readily understandable wagers having potential high payouts. Such high payouts generally serve as a draw to increase player participation and excitement. Of course, in order for such a game to be viable in a casino environment, the payouts must be established so that the casino maintains a reasonable advantage.
The game according to the present invention is playable as a side wager preferably in conjunction with an existing game wherein cards are dealt to the player and dealer to form respective player and dealer hands. Examples of suitable games for which the side wager game according to the present invention can be incorporated are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/845,332 [Triple Hand] and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/589,202 [ShoPoka], the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. Generally, according to the present invention, a full player hand and a full dealer hand are combined to form a combined hand, wherein the side game wager is resolved according to the playing cards in the combined hand.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method of playing a side game is provided in combination with a game of chance where a dealer hand of playing cards is dealt to a dealer and a player hand of playing cards is dealt to a player. The method includes the steps of (a) receiving a side game wager from the player; (b) after dealing the dealer hand and the player hand, combining all playing cards from the dealer hand and player hand into a combined hand; and (c) resolving the side game wager according to the playing cards in the combined hand. In one operating mode, step (c) is practiced by resolving the side game wager according to non-poker combinations. In this context, step (c) may be practiced by resolving the side game wager according to characteristics of the playing cards in the combined hand, such as at least one of card color, picture cards, odd/even or high/low. Moreover, step (c) may be practiced by paying a payout if the combined hand contains at least a predetermined number of at least one of cards of a same color, picture cards, odd or even rank, or high cards or low cards. Generally, the payout is increased with an increased number of cards matching the card characteristics.
In one preferred embodiment, the dealer hand contains five cards and the player hand contains five cards such that the combined hand contains ten cards. In this context, step (c) is practiced by resolving the side game wager according to characteristics of the ten playing cards in the combined hand. Alternatively, the dealer and player hands may each contain seven cards such that the combined hand contains fourteen cards. In this context, step (c) is practiced by resolving the side game wager according to characteristics of the fourteen playing cards in the combined hand.
In another embodiment, the method may include a step of paying an additional payout based on at least one specified card characteristic in at least one of the dealer hand only, the player hand only, the combined hand, or both the dealer hand and the player hand independently.
In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method of playing a side game is played in combination with a game of chance where a dealer hand of playing cards is dealt to a dealer, and a player hand of playing cards is dealt to a player. The method includes the steps of receiving a side game wager from the player; dealing the dealer hand and the player hand according to the game of chance; completing the game of chance according to game rules; combining all playing cards from the dealer hand and the player hand into a combined hand; and resolving the side game wager according to the playing cards in the combined hand.